Winners and Losers

Noah and his friend spent much time playing various games. Friendship does not mean not playing to win. 

Hiking

A Sedona hike is a 'must' for first-time visitors. The weather in Flagstaff was nice, sunny but cold; the weather in Sedona, nicer, warmer, and no snow. Bob kindly dropped us off so that we would not have to look for parking. He thought he would catch up with us; alas, many others had the same brilliant idea - hike on a sunny afternoon. Bob did a shorter hike in a less populated area and arrived back just in time to pick us up. The reward was Coldstone Creamery with a view. 

Croissants

 Noah continues to perfect his croissant recipe. It is good that we had a long hike in front of us...

Nothing Stops Pizza Night

 Although we had guests, with jet lag even, we did not let that stop us from the Friday tradition of homemade pizza. The only adjustment was making the pizzas for Saturday dinner, not Friday. It is fun to see what our guests put on their pizzas, new combinations, and suggestions for future Fridays. 

Snow

 Noah and his friend headed up to the mountain early Saturday morning to get some skiing in. There is not much snow and skiing in the Sunshine state, and Noah is always excited to have a ski partner, and if it is his best friend, it is even better. 

Noah had been watching the weather report all week - there was snow in the forecast, and then, not, then there was snow, and then again not. Well, it did snow on Saturday, allowing for some powder skiing. My reward for being up early to make hot chocolate for the skiers was the gorgeous sunrise. 

College Visit

 Noah and his friend, who flew in from out of town, visited ASU on Friday morning. Although we could not access an official college tour, we had the best tour guide, a current ASU student, and big brother Lukas. 

Lukas caught the bus from his campus to join us as we walked around the rather deserted university. With his access, we were able to walk through the libraries and even see a few classrooms and labs. To top it off, he brought ASU swag for both prospective students. I did not see the ones on the tours get anything but a discount coupon to the bookstore. 

We ended the tour with a delicious lunch at a local Indian restaurant. Lukas and the restaurant host are classmates, but they have not met in person until this lunch - that is, college connections Zoom style. 

Balloons over Phoenix

 As Noah and I left early Friday morning to go to Phoenix, we saw many balloons take off over the city. They were too many to count, especially when you need to keep the eyes on the road.